Mark Evans tries out the i200 wristwatch dive computer from Aqua Lung.
Aqua Lung i200 (SRP: £249)
MARK EVANS: Wristwatch dive computers are becoming more affordable these days, and the i200 is leading the charge when it comes to bargain-priced units that don’t skimp on the details.
With the i200 in particular, ‘cheap’ does not equate to lack of features. The Aqua Lung computer boasts four operating modes – air, nitrox (two mixes up to 100 percent O2), gauge with run timer, and free dive (which tracks calculations to allow unrestricted switching between dive settings and free) – and has a user-changeable battery, but data retention means it will maintain settings and calculations between battery changes.
The i200 also has a Deep Stop function with a countdown timer, and if you purchase the optional download cable, you can then easily update the software as any additional features or upgrades become available. It even has a nifty high-visibility LED alarm light on the side, which shows up well in low-vis conditions or at night.
The Aqua Lung i200 is extremely lightweight, but at the same time feels reasonably rugged. It has a nice, clean, sporty look, so you could quite happily wear it as an everyday watch, safe in the knowledge that when you are ready to go diving, it is right there with you.
The buttons are big enough to be operable when wearing thick neoprene gloves, and have a definite ‘feel’ to them, and the menus are easy to navigate – in time-honoured tradition, I didn’t break out the instructions and was getting to grips with it in a short-time, which gets the thumbs up from me.
This neat little unit would make a fine starter primary dive computer for a new diver, but equally is priced keenly enough – and has enough features – to warrant a more-experienced diver getting one as a solid back-up to a more-expensive primary computer, such as Aqua Lung’s i750T.
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